Method for cooling wire during the coiling or reeling thereof



Sep 1970 H. E. MOBIUS 3, 5,

METHOD FOR COOLING WIRE DURING THE COILING OR REELING THEREOF Filed July 29 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

1 S Q 0 l I i Q Q INVENTOR 62w: 5902mm; Mrs/us ATTORNEYS H. E. MOBIUS Sept. 1, 1970 METHOD FOR COOLING WIRE DURING THE COILING OR REELING THEREOF Filed July 29 2 SheetsSheet 2 I j q i (My 900 row 7m oerafure of ra/fihy mafer/b/ i "a 3 R U k WW 4 W M 0 W a m 1% e s w d m n s m a e M w a a6 M e 0 OAYIM 3 7- J/ 0 NW ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Int. Cl. F28f /00 US. Cl. 165-1 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The cooling of wire during the reeling operation in which separate streams of a coolant and air are discharged in the direction of the wire convolutions during the rotation of the reel from a double tube assembly inserted into the reel. The tube is withdrawn from the reel during the discharge of the coolant and air as the height of the convolutions increase.

This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 604,045 filed Dec. 22, 1966, and now abandoned, and entitled, Method of and Apparatus for Cooling Wire During the Coiling or Reeling Operation Thereof.

The present invention relates to a method for cooling wire during the coiling or reeling operation thereof.

Generally, the invention comprises inserting into the reel at the start of the reeling operation, a double tubular component provided with nozzles for supplying a cooling medium and compressed air to the tubular component for discharge from the nozzles, and Withdrawing the tubular component from the reel with the height of the tubular component provided with the nozzles being small in comparison to the height of the completely wound wire bundle or coil.

Heretofore, there has been provided a reel for water cooling in which the pins or pegs positioned on the base of the reel have their longitudinal axes provided with bores communicating with several openings and which openings are equipped with spray nozzles. A cooling medium such as water is supplied to the bores and sprayed via the nozzles against the convolutions of the reeled wire. This particular type of reel is objectionable in that due to the relatively great distance between two pins or pegs, all areas of the wire bundle or coil are not cooled to an equal intensity since the first reeled convolutions are cooled to a greater extent than the later reeled convolutions. Also, a uniform cooling is not possible due to the fact the water droplets are too large. The foregoing means that irregular cooling results with variations in the structure, and hence in the mechanical properties of the coil or bundle.

To avoid the above mentioned disadvantages, there has been proposed a method of cooling completed wire bundles or coils, that is to say, the exterior of the reel, and in which a cooling medium is sprayed from the axis of the coil to be cooled against the convolutions thereof in such a manner that droplets are produced that are sufficiently small to travel about the convolutions in suspension and sufficiently large to reach the outermost convolutions, with the stream of the projected cooling medium being uniform throughout all heights and all directions of the coil or bundle so that within the time period each surface unit of the inner limit of the bundle is subjected to the same amount of cooling medium. An apparatus for achieving such ends can comprise, for example, a double tubular component provided with compressed air 3,526,269 Patented Sept. 1, 1970 nozzles for spraying the cooling medium radially outward from the center. The cooling medium and compressed air are introduced into the tubular component and by means of which a complete spraying of the cooling medium is assured.

However, a uniform cooling of a completed wire bundle or coil according to this particular method is not feasible in the case of wire bundles or coils having a wire diameter of approximately 10 mm. or more since, under such circumstances, the ratio of surface area to the volume of wire is unfavorable for the cooling process.

A further disadvantage in connection with the cooling of bundles or coils of relatively large diameter is that the penetrability, so to speak, of such bundles or coils is less than in the situation of bundles or coils with a small diameter.

To overcome the above and other objectionable features existing in the art is a salient object of this invention.

Further important objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed specification and annexed drawing, and in which;

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in cross section of an apparatus for practicing the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in vertical cross section illustrating the nozzle structure shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the amount of coolant which must be atomized in dependence on the temperature of the wire entering the reel,

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the control of the amount of coolant in dependence on the reeling time.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a double tube assembly 1 and a reel 2. The tube 1 is provided with nozzles 3 and at the beginning of the reeling operation the tube 1 rests firmly on the base of a plate 4 of the rotatable reel 2. The nozzles 3 correspond to the nozzles illustrated in Ser. No. 515,329 filed by the present applicant and Otto Steinhauer on Dec. 21, 1965, now Pat. No. 3,339,373 issued Sept. 5, 1967, and particularly the nozzles shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The tube assembly 1 comprises an outer tube 5 and an inner tube 6 arranged concentrically with respect to the outer tube 5. A coolant such as water is introduced into the tube 6 and compressed air into the annular space provided by the outer surface of the tube 5 and the inner surface of the tube 6 so that the coolant will be dispersed via the nozzles 3 in a fine mist-like spray.

The reel 2 is provided with upstanding conical pins or pegs 7 and during rotation of the reel 2 the coil space between the pins 7 is gradually filled and the tube assembly 1 is moved upwardly by suitable means (not shown) at the same speed at which the coil space is filled. The purpose of the above arrangement is that the cooling medium always reaches the uppermost convolutions which have been deposited in the coil space with the latest rotations of the reel 2.

-It will be noted that the surface of the tube assembly 1 provided with the nozzles 3 is of relatively small height as compared to the height of the wire bundle or coil. In order to present in this particular zone during a given period of time adequate cooling means, the nozzles 3 are annular slits and one or more of such nozzles is desirable. With reference to FIG. 2 it will be noted that the nozzles 3 are of ring form and the rings may he threaded onto the outer tube 5 and sealed. The coolant is supplied to the nozzles 3 from the tube 6 by radial ducts 8. The coolant issues from central orifice 9 and the air from outer orifices 10. It 'Will further be noted that directly adjacent the lowermost and uppermost nozzles 3, respectively, are provided disc-shaped plates 11 and which plates assure that the formation of the spray of cooling medium is not impaired. The plates 11 must be kept dry and this is achieved by means of air nozzles 12 cated directly below and directly above the uppermost and lowermost plates.

The cones of the compressed air nozzles are shown in FIG. 1 and it will be noted that their center lines lie at right angles to the axes of the tube assembly 1 and the reel 2. In order to cool the bundle or coil more intensively on its top surface it is advantageous that the main direction of the stream of the cooling medium be obliquely downward at an angle of, for example, 45. In such a situation, all of the center lines of the cooling medium streams as shown in FIG. 1 constitute the surface lines of the cone, the axis of which is at the same time the axis of the tube and the reel.

The present invention is particularly efficacious in that all convolutions of the bundle or coil are cooled to an equal intensity. As a consequence, this invention possesses substantial advantages as compared to the cooling means wherein the cooling medium is presented from the moment the wire initially enters the reel until the last convolution is deposited at a height which corresponds to that of the completed bundle or coil. This is due to the fact that in this known apparatus the initially deposited convolutions are cooled more intensely than the later deposited convolutions. The results of such a cooling are often substantially diiferences in the mechanical values and the structure within one bundle or coil which, of course, is undesirable in connection with the customary automatic plants for further processing.

Moreover, the present invention does not preclude any partial cooling of wire prior to the insertion in the reel such as by passing the same through a water cooling zone. In addition, the wire bundle or coil can, if desired, be further cooled in a separate cooling arrangement subsequent to the removal thereof from the reel.

Furthermore, the invention comprehends maintaining the amount of water sprayed small at the beginning of the reeling cycle and increasing the same only gradually up to the maximum amount of coolant, thereafter maintaining the same constant to the completion of the reeling cycle and then gradually reducing the amount following completion of the reeling cycle. Hence, this means that the temperature remains approximately the same throughout the entire height of the wire bundle or coil. It should be further understood that in lieu of the slit type nozzles disclosed herein single or individual nozzles may be used.

The diagram in FIG. 3 illustrates the amount of the coolant in Cu m./h. which must be atomized in dependence upon the temperature of the Wire entering the reel 2. The amount of the coolant is also dependent on the diameter of the wire which in FIG. 3, is between 5 and 28 mm.

With reference now to the diagram. of FIG. 4, the control of the amount of the coolant is dependent on the reeling time. At the start of the reeling, no coolant is atomized until the bottom plate of the reel is covered with wire. Water is then offered proportionately to the time according to the curve in FIG. 4. When the end of the wire has entered the reel cage, the amount of coolant is reduced to zero in proportion to the time.

This invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity to the showings in the drawings but changes or modifications may be made therein so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cooling wire during the reeling operation thereof, comprising inserting into the reel a tubular component adapted to have separate streams of coolant and air introduced therein, discharging said separate streams from the tubular component in the direction of the wire convolutions wound onto the reel during the rotation thereof in an area adjacent the lower end of the tubular component and having an axial extent which is small with respect to the height of the completed wound wire coil and withdrawing the tubular component from the rotating reel during the discharge of the coolant and air as the height of the convolutions of the wire increases.

2. The method of cooling wire as claimed in claim 1 in which the quantity of the coolant is variable as to a predetermined time period and is adapted to the temperature of the wire being fed to the reel.

3. The method of cooling wire as claimed in claim 1 including initially maintaining the volume of coolant small only gradually increasing the same to the maximum value, maintaining such volume approximately constant until completion of the reeling and gradually reducing such volume following completion of the reeling.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,933,412 10/1933 Brown et al. 2,634,164 4/1953 Drake 165-95 3,339,373 9/1967 Mobius et al 165--1 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner C. SUKALO, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

